PRODUCTIVITY, ANIMAL WELFARE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS OF WEATHER VARIABILITY FOR US DAIRY SYSTEMS

The overarching goal of this project is to examine the productivity, animal welfare, and environmental implications of weather variability for US dairy systems in order to inform future management options. This project has five objectives:Objective 1: Identify real-world, nationally representative damages from weather variability revealed in the historical record, and to use these models to understand adaptation potential and the impacts of historical climate trends on the US dairy sector.Objective 2: Assess the impacts of weather variability and historical climate trends on total dairy methane emissions and methane emissions intensity.Objective 3: Analyze consumer and farmer perceptions of the animal welfare, environmental, and productivity consequences of weather variability, as well as support for new technologies and management strategies to manage these impacts.Objective 4: Analyze the intersection of survey results and model projections to determine how the dairy sector could proactively adapt to future conditions.Objective 5 (integrated with Objectives 1-4): Develop and deliver educational experiences to graduate and undergraduate students, high school agricultural education teachers, and stakeholders to train the next generation of industry leaders to overcome weather and climate challenges.